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Do you have a favorite holiday? Perhaps Thanksgiving, which is right around the corner, is your favorite, or maybe Halloween or perhaps even New Year’s Day? Did you know that in Thailand, they celebrate New Year’s Day in April?

Thai people call the beginning of their New Year Songkran which means “a move or change in the position of the sun from Aries to Taurus.” This position of the sun falls in mid April every year sometime between April 10 and April 18. As we make New Year’s resolutions on our New Year’s Day as a sort of cleansing, the Thai also cleanse for their New Year. And boy, do they cleanse!

They celebrate a Songkran festival which lasts 4 days. During those four days they clean their houses, they clean images of Buddha and the young people pour scented water into the hands of their elders and parents as a form of respect. They also cook lots of delicious food and have parades in the streets. Sounds like a pretty normal holiday so far, doesn’t it?

What might not seem so normal to you is that the Songkran Festival in many parts of Thailand is also a big water fight in the streets! You get to throw water on anyone walking by and they can do the same to you! Everyone takes part in this tradition and it is hard to find a dry person walking down the street. Though in the old days, people might sprinkle a bit of scented water over your shoulder to wish you good luck, nowadays, people will throw buckets of ice water at you or fire water guns at you. Children and adults alike find great amusement in this fairly new tradition of Songkran and although you’ll be drenched by the end of the day, you’ll feel refreshed from the oppressive heat.

Wouldn’t it be fun to pour water all over your parents, siblings and strangers and not get in trouble? Well if you plan on doing it, make sure you go to Thailand first!